Paulinho assures he is “seizing every second” after another Barcelona goal at Athletic Bilbao as “I find it easier to score when I’m a starter.”

Paulinho bagged his third goal for Barca on Saturday with the clincher in a 2-0 victory over Athletic, and the midfielder expressed his delight with the start he had made at Camp Nou following his €40m arrival from Guangzhou Evergrande over the summer.

“I’m happy with my goal, of course, because Athletic were looking for the equaliser with great force and it secured the win for us,” he said after the game.

“The truth is that I find it easier to score when I’m a starter, and I think things are going well.

“I have the support of my teammates and everything becomes easier that way. What’s clear is that at Barca, you must seize every second.”